British guitarist and singer/songwriter Dave Mason first gained attention as a founding member of the 1960s rock group Traffic alongside Steve Winwood, authoring their major track “Feelin’ All Right.” Restless after a short time with the band, he departed to follow an independent path. His debut album, Alone Together from 1970, earned both critical praise and strong sales through its strong material, expressive vocals, and well-chosen guest musicians. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he issued further recordings, achieving a notable success with the 1977 single “We Just Disagree.”
Born on May 10, 1946, in Worcester, England, Mason turned professional while still a teenager. As part of the instrumental outfit the Jaguars he appeared on the local single “Opus to Spring” in 1963. That association introduced him to drummer Jim Capaldi; together they joined the Hellions, who performed across the U.K. and in Hamburg, West Germany, and issued several singles between 1964 and 1965. Mason left the Hellions in spring 1965 to pursue formal musical studies and occasionally sat in with Capaldi’s other project, Deep Feeling. Early in 1966 he took the role of road manager for the Spencer Davis Group, where he met Steve Winwood; accounts indicate he also performed onstage with the band and may have supplied backing vocals on the hit “Somebody Help Me.”
Winwood exited the Spencer Davis Group in March 1967 and formed Traffic with Mason, Capaldi, and flautist Chris Wood. The new quartet’s first single, the Winwood/Capaldi song “Paper Sun,” was followed in August 1967 by Mason’s “Hole in My Shoe,” which reached number two in the U.K. Mason contributed to Traffic’s debut album, Mr. Fantasy, yet left the group shortly before its December 1967 release. He cut the solo single “Little Woman” in early 1968, then returned to Traffic. “Feelin’ Alright?,” a number reflecting his mixed feelings toward the band, appeared as the lead single from the second album, Traffic, in October 1968; although it did not chart at the time, the song later became Mason’s signature composition, especially after Joe Cocker’s 1969 cover. Mason departed Traffic once more, after which the group disbanded in fall 1968 when Winwood joined Blind Faith. Mason, Capaldi, and Wood briefly united with Mick Weaver in Wooden Frog.
Mason relocated to Los Angeles and joined Delaney & Bonnie & Friends in 1969. Signing with Blue Thumb Records, he issued his first solo album, Alone Together, in 1970; it climbed to number 22 on the U.S. chart, earned gold certification, and yielded the charting single “Only You Know and I Know.” Despite this achievement he remained active in collaborative settings, serving briefly as second guitarist in Eric Clapton’s Derek and the Dominos, contributing to George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, and forming a duo with Cass Elliot. Their joint album, Dave Mason & Cass Elliot, appeared in February 1971, reached number 49, and dissolved soon afterward. Mason rejoined Traffic for several summer shows that produced the live set Welcome to the Canteen.
While preparing his next solo project, a royalty dispute with Blue Thumb prompted the label to compile the partially unfinished, partially live Headkeeper, issued in February 1972 against Mason’s wishes; it peaked at number 51. Legal tensions continued into 1973, leading Blue Thumb to release the charting Dave Mason Is Alive! without his consent. Following a settlement he moved to Columbia Records, which brought out It’s Like You Never Left on October 29, 1973; the album reached number 50. He assembled a band, toured widely, and raised his visibility enough that his second Columbia release, Dave Mason, arrived in October 1974, climbed to number 25, and attained gold status. Split Coconut, issued September 19, 1975, reached number 27 and also went gold, supporting headline dates at venues including New York’s Madison Square Garden and Philadelphia’s Spectrum. His concert draw was further documented by the double album Certified Live in fall 1976, which hit number 78.
Mason attained a career high with Let It Flow, released in April 1977. Though it peaked at number 37, the album remained on the charts for 49 weeks and achieved platinum certification on the strength of “We Just Disagree,” written by backup guitarist Jim Krueger, which climbed to number 12. Additional singles “So High (Rock Me Baby and Roll Me Away)” and “Let It Go, Let It Flow” also charted. Mariposa de Oro followed in June 1978, preceded by a cover of “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” that entered the Top 40; the album reached number 41 and earned gold certification.
Two years later Mason delivered Old Crest on a New Wave in summer 1980. After it peaked at number 74 and spawned the charting single “Save Me,” he left Columbia. No new major-label deal materialized, yet he kept touring, eventually performing as an acoustic duo with Krueger. In 1987 he released Some Assembly Required on the Canadian label Maze Records and Two Hearts on MCA; the latter included the duet “Dreams I Dream” with Phoebe Snow, which reached number 11 on the adult-contemporary chart. Mason joined a reconstituted Fleetwood Mac lineup in 1993, appearing on the 1995 album Time before the group reverted to its earlier configuration. In 1998 he reunited with Jim Capaldi for a tour that yielded the 1999 live album Live: The 40,000 Headmen Tour. Megaforce Records issued his first studio album in more than two decades, 26 Letters 12 Notes, in 2008, followed by Future’s Past in 2014.
